Steve Castor served as the Republican Counsel at the impeachment hearing on Monday, but many viewers were distracted by his choice of “briefcase.” The attorney went before the House Judiciary Committee to speak on behalf of the Republican party, arguing that congress should not impeach President Donald Trump. His evidence was all carried in a reusable Whole Foods grocery bag.
Castor had binders full of documents to show to the House Judiciary Committee on Monday, so he needed a big bag to carry them. he chose one of Whole Foods’ large, reusable totes, with pictures of food printed on the sides and company slogans printed on the ends. The unconventional green bag was a big distraction for viewers live-tweeting the hearing.
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“Steve Castor must have received one helluva of an endorsement deal for his new professional briefcase. What a clown show,” wrote Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels against President Trump.
“hey you’re bringing your briefcase today for your nationally televised impeachment hearing right?”
“no no i’ll be fine with this.”pic.twitter.com/Uw27J337ra
— j.d. durkin (@jiveDurkey) December 9, 2019
“Note to Steve Castor’s family: He needs a briefcase. This is not a good look for Impeachment Hearings televised around the world,” another person added. “Also, he needs a bit of coaching in the ‘Fake-it-’til-You-make-it’ category.”
“Listen, I knew this was about to be a s— show when Castor walked in with his files/books in a reusable Aldi’s bag,” declared a third.
Castor is a congressional staff member in the House Oversight Committee, where he has served since 2004. He was appointed as the minority counsel for the impeachment inquiry last month, opposite Daniel S. Goldman, the majority counsel for the Democratic party.
The shopping bag was on purpose. It’s a backup strategy so the GOP can say Trump wasn’t properly represented. No lawyer would use a grocery bag for his documents. A gambit for sympathy for poor Castor. So lame!
— Conekicker (@Conekicker1) December 9, 2019
Goldman outlined the findings of the impeachment inquiry in broad strokes on Monday, presenting evidence that President Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine that had been approved by Congress for political gain. Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler — a Democratic congressman for New York — opened the hearing by saying, “President Trump put himself before country.”
Republicans on the committee, meanwhile, attempted to slow the proceedings as the hurdle toward a vote. Representative Doug Collins of Georgia claimed that Democrats are trying to force an impeachment because “they don’t have a candidate that can beat him.”
This may not be true, as according to many polls, various Democratic candidates are already pacing ahead of the president, with almost a year to go before the election. In the meantime, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has said that there will be an impeachment vote before 2019 is out.
